Julian Williams to return on October 9th Fury-Wilder 3 undercard against Vladimir Hernandez

Top Rank and PBC have officially unveiled the pre-PPV undercard for Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3 on October 9th. In addition to previously revealed tussles like Edgar Berlanga vs. Marcelo Coceres and Robeisy Ramirez vs. Orlando Gonzalez, the prelims will see former unified super welterweight champion Julian Williams end a 21-month layoff against Vladimir Hernandez.

“J-Rock” (27-2, 16 KO) authored a massive upset in 2019 by beating down Jarrett Hurd for the IBF and WBA “Super” titles. Though Hurd initially seemed poised to exercise his rematch clause, he ultimately declined, leaving Williams to defend his belts against Jeison Rosario in January 2020. Though the Dominican was coming off a split decision against Jorge Cota and got blown up by Nathaniel Gallimore in his most notable prior fight, he wound up battering Williams into submission over five rounds.

He’s since made a couple of attempts to return to action against the likes of Dennis Hogan and Brian Mendoza, but assorted misfortunes have kept him out of the ring.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to compete on this amazing card,” said Williams. “I’m excited to be getting back in the ring and starting my journey back to the very top of the division.”

Mexico’s Hernandez (12-4, 6 KO) had a good thing going as a victim to the stars, having welcomed Israil Madrimov to the pro ranks and fought Souleymane Cissokho six months later, but flipped the script last year with a late-notice decision over Alfredo Angulo. He’s tough as hell and throws a metric f***load of punches every round, so while Williams will be the favorite, it’s far from a get-well fight.

“I’m very thankful for this opportunity to get back in the ring on October 9,” said Hernandez. “I expect Julian Williams to be prepared like I am to give the fans a great fight. I have been doing nothing but staying ready and training since my last fight. I promise that I’m going to bring the action when that bell rings.”

Other bouts include rising Ukrainian heavyweight Viktor Faust (7-0, 5 KO) against Mike Marshall (6-1, 4 KO) and Olympic Trials winner Bruce Carrington’s pro debut opposite TBA. In a rather amusing turn of events, super lightweight prospect Elvis Rodriguez (11-1, 10 KO) will take on Victor Vasquez (11-5, 5 KO) in his first fight since being released from Top Rank and subsequently signing with PBC.